I’m curious about the Jewish food observance of my readers. If you want to add something to your answer, you can do so in the “Comments.” Thanks for participating!
Rabbi Ruth Adar is a teaching rabbi in San Leandro, CA. She has many hats: rabbi, granny, and ham radio operator K6RAV. She blogs at http://coffeeshoprabbi.com/ and teaches at Jewish Gateways in Albany, CA.
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7 thoughts on “What’s Your Jewish Food Observance?”
This is a weird poll—several answers apply to me but I can only check one box.
I am vegan. Following Jewish eating practices became too difficult. I used to enjoy regular observant Jewish eating habits, then became vegetarian, and then progressed to vegan. Best decision of my life in terms of observance, ease of meal preparation, and health.
Yes, too difficult to answer only one question.
I’m Jewish, born and raised. No pork, ever. No chametz during Pesach. That’s pretty much it for us.
Oh, and of course, traditional food on all the holidays.
I wish there was a way to post photos here.
I’m so glad you added the option for “ethical food practice”. There seem to be two ways to think about this: (a) how you treat the food you buy, and (b) how you decide what to buy. Traditional Judaism has done a great job on the former, since we try to pause before eating to say a bracha. I find that so challenging in a world where we often eat on the go. As for what we decide to buy, it’s great to see that we’re moving beyond the fine distinctions between animals & parts in Torah to a broader sense of impact, such as climate change, working conditions, pollution, and so on.
Even though I am vegan, I am not a militant one. If offered a truly kosher hamburger or an observant Jew with a true kosher kitchen invites me to Shabbat dinner, I dive in and eat from their menu. “Ethical food practice” is how I voted for all those reasons. I am, however, totally vegan in my own home.
I have never gotten around to converting, although I meant to for years (have finally realized I don’t need a religious community to be happy) and for 26 years I kept a kosher kitchen. Then my Baptist father moved in with me, and I stopped, so that he could drink milk with every meal as he had all his life (and eat ham occasionally) and since his death I have not gone back to it.
I started when my allergies were retested in my twenties and I looked at the results and laughed, and my (Jewish) allergist said “What?” and I pointed to my new allergies to milk, pork, and shellfish, and said “G-d wants me to keep kosher!” He knew my parents were Baptist so he didn’t think I was actually serious.
This is a weird poll—several answers apply to me but I can only check one box.
My first poll, and clearly I need to redo it! Thanks for letting me know.
I am vegan. Following Jewish eating practices became too difficult. I used to enjoy regular observant Jewish eating habits, then became vegetarian, and then progressed to vegan. Best decision of my life in terms of observance, ease of meal preparation, and health.
KR4ZAN
Yes, too difficult to answer only one question.
I’m Jewish, born and raised. No pork, ever. No chametz during Pesach. That’s pretty much it for us.
Oh, and of course, traditional food on all the holidays.
I wish there was a way to post photos here.
I’m so glad you added the option for “ethical food practice”. There seem to be two ways to think about this: (a) how you treat the food you buy, and (b) how you decide what to buy. Traditional Judaism has done a great job on the former, since we try to pause before eating to say a bracha. I find that so challenging in a world where we often eat on the go. As for what we decide to buy, it’s great to see that we’re moving beyond the fine distinctions between animals & parts in Torah to a broader sense of impact, such as climate change, working conditions, pollution, and so on.
Even though I am vegan, I am not a militant one. If offered a truly kosher hamburger or an observant Jew with a true kosher kitchen invites me to Shabbat dinner, I dive in and eat from their menu. “Ethical food practice” is how I voted for all those reasons. I am, however, totally vegan in my own home.
I have never gotten around to converting, although I meant to for years (have finally realized I don’t need a religious community to be happy) and for 26 years I kept a kosher kitchen. Then my Baptist father moved in with me, and I stopped, so that he could drink milk with every meal as he had all his life (and eat ham occasionally) and since his death I have not gone back to it.
I started when my allergies were retested in my twenties and I looked at the results and laughed, and my (Jewish) allergist said “What?” and I pointed to my new allergies to milk, pork, and shellfish, and said “G-d wants me to keep kosher!” He knew my parents were Baptist so he didn’t think I was actually serious.